HOW TO DEAL WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY THAT DON’T UNDERSTAND YOUR NEED TO TRAVEL

Your work as a travel nurse and your friends and family are cornerstones of your life and, in a perfect world, they would get along perfectly.

But … that doesn’t always happen.

Sometimes it’s the work that gets in the way of your home life and sometimes it’s the other way around. And it’s this latter instance that can be trickier, especially if you’re a travel nurse.

Solving family challenges to your travel nursing.Unless you work in the profession, it can be very difficult to understand the world of travel nursing, particularly if that world is taking a person’s partner or loved one away from them for a period. If you’re a travel nurse, you may face questions like, “Why do you need to go?” “Why can’t you get a local job?” or “What’s so great about travel nursing?” Included below are our tips to handle the sometimes-difficult conversations that can arise from these questions.

1. Don’t argue.

In short, it’s not going to get you anywhere and if you hurt the other person’s feelings, they’ll only have a greater animosity toward travel nursing. Highlight the pieces of travel nursing that would appeal to them — perhaps exploring new destinations — instead of dwelling on the pieces that don’t. The more relatable you can make it, the better your chances of minimizing the argument.

2. Explain to them this is your career.

Some people look at travel nursing as being akin to a study abroad program or a sabbatical and to be fair, the idea of working hundreds of miles away from home may be strange. It’s doable, however, and in today’s market the demand has never been greater. Try explaining this to your loved ones. It’s not a study abroad program, it’s a working vacation and you can do it as often as you like.

3. Remember the bigger picture.

The people that are most important in your life will criticize the decision because they don’t want you to go, and while that may be frustrating, the undertones of that fight are positive. Make plans to reconnect with these people while you’re gone, and once you’re back, you’ll treasure your time together even more.